Over my journey in business, I spent significant amounts of time managing relationships, finances, operations, and strategy.  What I learned over that journey is a critical resource I often ignored to my detriment was my energy level.  What I came to understand is unlike time which remains constant and unchanging, my energy levels are constantly changing with those changes needing to be recognized and managed.

My observation from this learning is my success in business did not come from working the longest hours but from masterfully managing my energy levels.  I recognized energy, not time, is the fundamental currency for achieving success.

Research has consistently shown energy levels, both physically and mentally, significantly impact business success. Maintaining high energy through a healthy lifestyle and focused work habits leads to improved productivity, engagement, and ultimately, greater profitability. Conversely, negative energy can stifle creativity and hinder progress.

In the past week, I had a conversation with a business owner who was struggling with managing their energy levels over working longer hours in the business.  After over 20 years in operation, the business survived the Covid years by the skin of their teeth.  Coming out of those years, whilst the business is growing, the owner had increased his workload during those difficult years and was struggling to guide the business along the journey to a period of sustained success.

What I quickly saw was a person who is exhausted and struggling to maintain the energy and enthusiasm required to undertake the tasks required to achieve sustained success.  In simple terms the owner was falling out of love with the business at the very moment he needed to be in love with it.

To start the process of refocusing the owner on the opportunities that exist in the business, I asked a simple question:

“Over the course of your journey in business, what were the things that got you out of bed every morning excited and enthusiastic about going to work?”

 The owner contemplated how to answer that question and came back with one of the saddest answers I have heard in all my years as a business coach:

“I don’t know.  I will get back to you on that one!”

 To start a practical process to refocus the owner on the things in the business that energizes him, I introduced the owner to the concept of an Energy Audit.  The audit will help him understand what activities he is undertaking that drains him of energy (energy takers) and which ones fill him with energy (energy givers).  From the outcome of that audit the owner will be able to focus on developing strategies and tasks to remove the energy takers to allow him more time to spend working on the energy givers.

The owner finished the conversation with an undertaking to complete the audit, such that our next conversation will be about the results of the audit and what he is doing around removing the energy takers from his day-to-day business life.

 In my view, the Energy Audit is one of the most powerful frameworks available to business owners to help them remember why they started in business in the first place. When they consciously identify and manage their energy givers and takers, they can reignite the passion that drove them to start the business in the first place. The journey to sustainable success begins with understanding what truly energizes a business owner.